With the ever-increasing miniaturization of electrical connector assemblies and the ever-increasing density of terminals mounted in the assemblies, it is becoming increasingly difficult to design the connectors to sufficiently support or protect small terminals from damage or deformation either during manufacture or assembly of the connectors or during mating and unmating of the connectors with complementary connectors.
For instance, a type of shielded input/output electrical connector includes an elongated housing having a plurality of receptacles or through passages extending in rows lengthwise of the connector for receiving a plurality of terminals for mating or establishing contact with terminals of a similarly configured complementary connector. The housing is shielded and the shield usually defines the mating front portion of the connector. Conductors are terminated to the terminals on the back or rear side of the housing projecting from the rear of the shield. Such connector assemblies increasingly are being miniaturized with high density terminal configurations. For instance, a typical connector assembly may have on the order of 34 terminals in each of the two rows of terminals spanning a distance of less than 1.5 inches, with the terminals in the combined rows having a spacing or pitch on the order of 0.050 inch.
In connector assemblies of the character described above, a typical tiny terminal conventionally is stamped and formed of metal material, and the terminal may be as thin as 0.0120 inch. A typical terminal also may be of the insulation displacement type, with a slotted insulation displacement portion at one end of the terminal and a thin elongated contact portion at the opposite end of the terminal. The elongated contact portion may be disposed in a channel or groove in the connector housing for contacting a complementary terminal of a mating connector. One of the problems in manufacturing such electrical connectors is providing stability or support for the insulation displacement portion of the contact. The very thin contact has a tendency to buckle during displacement of the insulation of an insulated conductor rather than cutting through the insulation to establish contact with the conductor core. Another problem involves the thin elongated contact portion of the terminal because it has a tendency to lift out of its channel or groove in the connector housing.
This invention is directed to solving the above problems by providing features on the connector housing for stabilizing and supporting the thin terminals both during manufacture or assembly thereof as well as during mating and unmating of the connector with a complementary connector assembly.